Mouthplate for horses or the like

ABSTRACT

A mouthplate is disclosed which includes a support member having a depending flange for insertion into the mouth of a horse or the like during such times as a bridle with bit is worn by the horse. As pressure is applied to the bit the interior cheeks of the horse are prevented from being abraded by the rough edges of the outer vertical walls of the teeth by the depending flanges.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION

Bridles employing bits have been used for many years to guide andcontrol animals such as horses when they are ridden and the many varioustypes of bits have been developed through the years. As the reins arepulled by the rider the bit applies pressure to the lips and cheeks ofthe horse and acts as a steering mechanism. After an animal has becomeadjusted to the bit, normal riding may not present any problems whereasthe constant abrupt turning and stopping which occurs for example inpolo games can cause injury to the inside cheeks of the horse as theflesh is forced against the rough edges of the molars. To help alleviatethis problem in the past it has been customary to "float" the teethwhich consists of smoothing the teeth with a suitable instrument.However, this method has not proved entirely satisfactory since ahorse's teeth continually grow and all the uneven spots along the topand side walls of the molars cannot be smoothed to perfection. Also, thefront molars may provide a rough surface between which the cheek can betrapped and pinched when pressure is applied to the bit.

As the inside of the horse's cheeks become abraded and lacerated fromconstant use of the bit, infection can set in and the horse can beprevented from normally eating and thus can rapidly fall into a state ofill health.

With this background in mind the present invention was developed and oneof its main objectives is to insure a healthier state for horses orother animals when bit-like devices are employed.

It is another objective of the present invention to provide a mouthplatefor horses or the like in order to allow them to complete more easilywithout injury in contests such as polo or racing events which require agreat deal of guiding, controlling, or stopping.

It is still another objective of the present invention to provide aprotective device for insertion into the mouth of an animal to preventsores, lacerations, and infections from developing therein.

It is yet another objective of the present device to provide aprotective mouthplate device which is economical to manufacture and canbe easily fitted to a variety of animals.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a mouthplateprotective device which will remain in position and which cannot beeasily dislodged or removed by the animal.

It is another objective of the present invention to provide a mouthplatedevice which remains in place during long periods of use and is quitecomfortable to the animal.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION AND DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The preferred embodiment of the present invention consists of amouthplate formed of polyethylene or other suitable material andincludes a central support means which fits against the roof of thehorse's mouth. On each side of the support means are channels forcontaining the molar teeth. The outer walls of the channels form theprotective area which prevents the inner cheeks and gums of the horse'smouth from being abraded by the sharp edges of the molars containedtherein. The preferred embodiment of the invention also includes lowermolar channels also having outer walls to protect the flesh fromabrasion. Immediately in front of the lower molar channels arepositioned bit securing means whereby the mouthplate can be releasablyattached to the bit.

Turning now to the drawings,

FIG. 1 demonstrates a perspective view of the preferred embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a bridle with bit in place on a typical horse;

FIG. 3 demonstrates a side view of the invention as shown in FIG. 1attached to a bit;

FIG. 4 demonstrates the top view of the invention as shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 demonstrates a rear view of the device shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 illustrates a bottom view of the invention as shown in FIG. 5;and

FIG. 7 demonstrates a view of the mouthplate as shown in FIG. 1 as itwould appear in actual use.

For a more detailed description of the drawings, mouthplate 10 as shownin FIG. 1 includes a central support means 11 having upper molarchannels 12 and 13. Channel 12 would receive certain of the left sidemolars of the horse whereas upper molar channel 13 would receive certainof the upper right side molars of the horse. Below the upper molarchannels 12 and 13 are lower molar channels 14 and 15 as shown in FIG. 5for receiving certain of the lower molars of the horse. While it isunderstood that the upper rows of teeth in a horse are wider than thelower rows it has been found advantageous to provide "play" in the molarchannels so the mouthplate will readily adapt to a variety of individualhorses having different mouth sizes.

Also shown on mouthplate 10 in FIG. 1 is bit securing means 16 havingupper flexible finger 17 and lower flexible finger 18. As would beunderstood flexible fingers 17 and 18 on the left side and flexiblefingers 19 and 20 on the right side of the mouthplate would thereby holdthe bridle bit 21 in place as shown in FIG. 3 and bit 21 would bereleasably attached thereto. As pressure is applied to the bit as instopping the horse, the bit is forced against the outer walls of themolar channels of mouthplate 10 and thereby prevents the gums andinterior cheeks from being forced against the outer surfaces of themolars which may be sharp and cause injury to the horse.

Polyethylene has been found to be a suitable material from which toconstruct the mouthplate although other materials may be used. It hasbeen found advantageous to form the mouthplate from a somewhat flexiblematerial to assist in its fitting to a variety of mouth sizes andshapes. Also, since some horses naturally chew the mouthplate more thanothers and under certain circumstances a rigid channel base composed ofdense plastic or even metal may be desirable in order to providedurability for the mouthplate. The rigid channel base (not shown) wouldbe molded or inserted into the bottom of the molar channels and could befor example affixed by a suitable adhesive.

FIG. 7 illustrates a typical mouthplate installation with a horse'sskull including the maxillary bone 22, nasal bone 23 and mandible 24.Incisors 25 are shown along with canine teeth 26. Molars 27 are shown inoutline form within the molar channels of mouthplate 10.

In using the present invention the mouthplate is attached to the bit ofthe bridle before the bridle is placed on the horse and as the bit isinserted into the horse's mouth the mouthplate is insertedsimultaneously. When guiding or stopping the horse a tug on the reinsforces the bit against the mouthplate and the horse then reacts to thefirm pressure being applied. The outer walls of the molar channels orflanges protect the cheeks and gums from contacting the sharp edges ofthe contained molars. As shown in FIG. 1 upper flange member 28 andlower flange member 29 are curved and shield certain portions of theupper and lower molars respectively. As further shown in FIG. 3 upperflange member 28 shields approximately 3 upper molars and lower flangemember 29 shields approximately 3 lower molars.

Various modifications and changes can be made to the invention as shownand it has been found satisfactory under certain circumstances toprovide a mouthplate having a channel member for only the upper molarsand it would be assumable that given the correct circumstances amouthplate may be devised which shields only the lower molars. Alsomouthplates have been designed having separate upper and lower centralsupport means with depending flanges although the "two-piece"mouthplates have not proved as satisfactory as the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 1.

The drawings as shown are for illustrative purposes and are not intendedto limit the scope of the invention.

I claim:
 1. A mouthplate for insertion into the mouth of a horse or the like for use during such time as the horse wears a bridle having a bit, said mouthplate to prevent the interior cheeks of the horse from being cut or abraded by contacting rough edges of the teeth as pressure is applied to the bit, the mouthplate comprising: a support means, said support means including an inverted u-shaped portion, said u-shaped portion fitting against the roof of the mouth, said support means for positioning between certain teeth of the horse, a flange member, said flange member joined to said support means, a securing means, said securing means comprising a at least one substantially circular flexible finger member, said at least one finger member forming an opening through which a bridle bit can be releasably attached, said securing means being positioned below a portion of said support means and said support means extending forward of said flange member and forward of said securing means whereby said support means is positioned between the canine teeth and the molars of the horse.
 2. A mouthplate as claimed in claim 1 and including a pair of depending flange members, one of said flange members for shielding upper teeth and the second said flange member for shielding lower teeth.
 3. A mouthplate as claimed in claim 1 constructed of polyethylene. 